Context

• The 2024 edition of the Global Gender Gap Index reveals a concerning picture for India, placing the country at 129th out of 146 surveyed countries.
• This position, near the bottom of the rankings, reflects a persistent gender disparity that has seen little improvement over recent years.
• Comparatively, in 2021, India was ranked 140th out of 156 countries, indicating that the country has remained entrenched in the bottom 20 percentile of this index.

Understanding the Global Gender Gap Index

• The Global Gender Gap Index, introduced in 2006 (by World Economic Forum), serves as a comprehensive measure of gender equality across various dimensions.
• It comprises four sub-indices: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
• Each sub-index aggregates multiple indicators to provide a summarised score and the overall index ranges from 0 to 1, where 1 signifies complete gender parity.
• It is crucial to note that this index focuses on the relative position of women to men rather than their absolute status, thereby highlighting gender gaps.
• While the index does not encompass every aspect of gender equality, it offers valuable insights into key areas that can be reliably measured and tracked over time.
• It functions as a highlighter of significant statistics rather than a comprehensive analysis.
• The Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA) has developed an interactive tracker to monitor India's position over time and relative to other countries across these sub-indices, further enhancing our understanding of gender parity dynamics.

India’s Performance in Sub-indices

• Health and Survival
  • In the Health and Survival sub-index, India's score is 0.951, indicating that 95.1% of the gender gap in this area has been closed.
  • Despite this high score, India ranks 142nd out of 146 countries.
  • This paradox suggests that while India has made significant progress, other countries have advanced further, pushing India lower in the relative rankings.
• Educational Attainment
  • Similarly, in the Educational Attainment sub-index, India has closed 96.4% of the gender gap. However, the country stands at 112th position globally.
  • This indicates that despite substantial achievements in education for women, other nations have outperformed India, highlighting a relative lag in progress.
• Economic Participation and Opportunity
  • The Economic Participation and Opportunity sub-index reveals a more troubling scenario.
  • India's score here is 39.8%, placing it at 142nd among 146 countries.
  • Although this represents an improvement from 32.6% in 2021, it is still significantly lower than the 2012 score of 46%.
  • This sub-index is based on labour force participation, share in managerial positions, wage gaps, and wage parity.
  • India's low score underscores the persistent economic barriers women face, including lower labour force participation and significant wage disparities.
  • In comparison, countries with the lowest economic parity levels, such as Bangladesh (31.1%), Sudan (33.7%), Iran (34.3%), Pakistan (36%), and Morocco (40.6%), share similar challenges.
  • These nations exhibit less than 30% gender parity in estimated earned income and less than 50% in labour force participation.
• Political Empowerment
  • On the Political Empowerment sub-index, India has closed only 25.1% of the gender gap, ranking 65th globally.
  • This is a significant drop from the 51st position in 2021, with a score of 27.6%. The decline is even more pronounced when compared to the 43.3% score around 2014.
  • This indicates a regression in political participation for women over the past decade.
  • Despite the global advances in gender equality in economic, educational, and health spheres, progress in political participation remains sluggish, both globally and within India.

Regional Comparison and Broader Economic Implications

• Regional Comparison
  • India's position is also concerning within the regional context of South Asia, which ranks seventh out of eight global regions, only ahead of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
  • Among the seven South Asian countries, India ranks fifth, with Bangladesh leading at the 99th position globally.
  • This regional comparison underscores India's struggle with gender parity, as it lags several of its immediate neighbours.
  • The persistence of gender gaps in key indicators, despite some improvements, signals a broader issue.
  • A decade ago, India’s gender gaps were narrower, indicating that progress has stalled or reversed in several areas.
  • This raises a critical question whether India should acknowledge these findings and take corrective action, or dismiss the metrics and blame the messengers.
• Economic Implications of Gender Inequality
  • There is substantial research highlighting the economic costs of sidelining women.
  • The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that gender-based discrimination in social institutions could cost the global economy up to $12 trillion.
  • Reducing gender discrimination can significantly boost GDP growth rates.
  • This understanding necessitates the mainstreaming of gender equality into economic policy-making, rather than treating it as a secondary issue to be addressed later. 

Social Implications and Long-term Benefits of Gender Equality

• Achieving gender equality is not only an economic imperative but also a social one and empowering women leads to better outcomes in health, education, and social stability.
• For instance, women who are economically empowered are more likely to invest in their children's education and health, creating a positive intergenerational impact.
• Furthermore, when women are included in decision-making processes, both in corporate and political spheres, policies tend to be more inclusive and address a broader range of social issues.
• This inclusiveness leads to more equitable societies where everyone can thrive.

Key Strategies to Address the Gender Inequality

• Educational Investments
  • Ensuring equal access to education for girls and women is fundamental.
  • Education empowers women with the skills and knowledge needed to participate fully in the economy.
  • Policies that promote STEM education for girls can help bridge gender gaps in high-paying and in-demand fields.
• Supportive Work Environments: Implementing policies that support work-life balance, such as maternity and paternity leave, affordable childcare, and flexible working hours, can encourage more women to enter and remain in the workforce.
• Equal Pay Legislation
  • Enforcing laws that mandate equal pay for equal work can help reduce wage disparities.
  • Transparent pay structures and regular pay audits can ensure compliance and highlight areas needing improvement.
• Entrepreneurship Support
  • Providing access to capital, training, and mentorship for women entrepreneurs can stimulate economic growth.
  • Women-owned businesses contribute significantly to job creation and economic diversification.

Conclusion

• India’s position in the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index highlights significant challenges and areas requiring urgent attention.
• Despite progress in health and education, economic participation and political empowerment remain areas of concern.
• Recognising the economic benefits of gender equality, it is imperative that India integrates gender considerations into its core economic strategies and creates a societal environment that treats women as equal stakeholders in all aspects of life.